News round up: MENA welcomes ‘Golden Boy’; ABC adapts Oz format ‘Parental Guidance’; HBO extends ‘Industry’

Golden Boy

MENA welcomes Golden Boy

Middle Eastern media group MBC has acquired Turkish drama Golden Boy from Eccho Rights, to air on free-to-air channel MBC4 and SVOD platform Shahid.

Golden Boy will premiere 30 October on MBC4, making it the first Turkish drama on free-to-air TV in MENA since 2018, when a blanket ban on Turkish content was implemented by linear broadcasters throughout the region following political tensions between Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

“We are delighted to see the re-opening of this vital market – audiences in the MENA region were among the first to embrace Turkish drama internationally and to be able to serve them the latest and best content again is really exciting,” said Melis Hamamcioglu, director of digital media acquisition & content sales for MENA, Israel & India at Eccho Rights.

The show is produced by OGM Pictures and premiered in late September on Star TV in Turkey.

ABC adapts Oz format Parental Guidance

ABC in the US has ordered The Parent Test, an unscripted series based on Australian format Parental Guidance.

The US show, which debuts 15 December, explores how families react to stress tests and contrasts their opinions on hot topics.

It is being produced Stateside by Eureka Productions, which is also behind the Australia original that debuted on Nine Network last year.

HBO extends Industry

HBO has confirmed a third run of Bad Wolf drama Industry, which tracks the lives of those working at a high-ressure London-base dinvestment bank.

The show was created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, who write alongside Jamie O’Brien.